Bowling-alley.



No. 674,797. Patented May 2|, |90I.

` P. J. RIDDELL.

BOWLING ALLEY.

(Application led Bar. 23, 1901.) (No Model.)

llamen .Sterns nrnNr rricn.

PARIS J. RIDDELIJ, OF CHICAGQILLINOIS, ASSIGNCR T() 'IIIE BRUNSWICK- BALKE-COLLENDER CO., OF SAME PLACE.

BOWLING-ALLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,797, dated May 21, 191'i Application filed March 23, 190].. Serial No. 52,567. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PARIS J. RIDDELL, of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Bowling-Alleys; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had lo the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

M-y invention relates to that part of a bowling-alley which is denominated the ball-gutterg7 and it consists in a novel construction of gutter that will be found hereinafter fully described, aud the peculiar structural features of which will be most particularly pointed out in the claims of this specification.

In the modern or approved construction of bowling-alley the ball-gutter, which extends from a point coincident with the balk-line of the bed to the forward edge of the alley-pit, has previous to myinvention been made in a variety of ways, in form usually after the fashion of what is commonly known as the cove gutter, andthe pit-end portion-t. e., about four feet of the gutter from its ext-reine pit end forward toward the players end, or that part of the gutter which runs alongside ofthe pin-platform (or is adjacent to that part of the bed ou which the pins are set up)-has heretofore been constructed somewhat differently from the rest of the gutter to render it better capable of withstanding or enduring the wear and tear to which it is subjected by the [lying pins and balls knocked about between the side buffers of the alleys. In the best constructions of this portion of the ballgutter heretofore suggested and adopted,how ever, it has been found wantingin durability, while at the same time expensive of manufacture and liable to soon get out of repair. 'lhe other (greater) portion of the ball-gutter as heretofore made has been found to be greatly lacking in stability and durability, while at the saine time expensive to the alley-builder and apt to soon get out of order and require frequent repairs, that are difficult and expensive to make.

Inasm uch as in the building of bowling-al leys the stock or sl utf for the various parts is gotten out mostly by machinery at the factory and mills of the alley-builder and shipped thence to the place at which the alleys are to be put in, often at a far-distant locality, aud the skilled workmen of the builder have to be sent to putin or build the alleys at the place at which they are to be used, it is of course a great desideratum to have the construction of the alley such that the stuff for its several parts can be gotten out at the factoryin as nearly as possible such a nal form 6o that it will when put together make the best possible job and such that the handwork will be reduced Vto a minimum, so that the workmen (or the foremen and gang) sent off from the factory to putin (or to put up) the alleys will be able to do the job in a workmanlike manner in the shortest possible time. It is furthermore important in the building of alleys that the construction of each and every part be such that it can be made as cheaply 7o as possible from such styles or cuts of lum ber of the required kind as can be found in the 4 lumber market or trade, while at the same time such parts will possess the greatest merits as to strength, durability, appearance, and efficiency in practical operation. I propose by my invention to gain or attain to all these desiderata in a much greater degree than ever heretofore done.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully 8o understand and practice my invention, I will now proceed to fully describe the construction and operation of a bowling-alley containing the latter, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and in which I have shown my said invention carried into effectin the precise forms in which I have so far fully and extensively practiced it.

In the drawings, Figure l is a partial top go View of a bowling-alley having the ball-gutter thereof made according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section taken in a plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. l and drawn on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 isa simi- 95 lar view at the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 isa similar view at the line LL 4 of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken in a plane indicated by the line 5 5 of Fig. land on the same scale as the latter. Fig. (i is view similar to Fig. 2, roo

but drawn on a larger scale than the latter and showing only a portion ot the parts therein seen for the purpose of better illustrating a peculiar structural feature to be presently explained. Fig. 7 is a View of a similar character relativelyfhowever, to Fig. 3 for a similar purpose. 1

In the several figures the same part will be found always designated by the same letter of reference.

In the drawings, d is a portion of the bed of an alley, and P the usual pit at the rear end thereof.

b is one of the ball-gutters of the alley (as is well understood there is a ball-gutter at each side of the alley-bed) made according to my invention..l This gutter is of the well-known cove pattern or shape in cross-section and is made, as the most approved gutters have heretofore been made, with the inclined pitend portion constructed somewhat differently from the rest of the gutter on account of this part of every ball-gutter (a portion lusually about four feet in length) being subjected to more wear and tear than the other part-z'. e., the remaining fifty-nine feet, approximately, that extends from this inclined pit end portion to the balk-line of the alley. This improved gutter b is, however, as to both its parts constructed upon a wholly different and quite novel plan, as I will presently particularly explain.

C is one of the usual separation-strips or stringers of the alley, which, as usual in the latest and most approved form of alleys, is built or extended upwardly or has built up on it at C2 (see particularly Fig. l) one of the side buffers of about the usual approved vlength and height.

In building the alley the bed (or, as is usually the case, aseries of beds) is (or are) laid on a series ef leveling-strips D, which are first laid down at suitable distances apart on the floor or foundation surface on which the alleys are to be placed and are directly supported in a well-known manner by sets of shingle-blocks or thin wedge-shaped pieces l and 2, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) there being three sets of these blocks at each levelingstrip D, where the bed a overlies the latter.

By preference I employ at and against the rear or pit end edge of the alley-bed d a finishing strip or board S, (see Figs. 1 and 5,)

1 which in practice is a hard oak board about ten inches wide and two inches thick, arranged, as shown, to constitute the front wall of the pit P and being securely fastened to the rear end of the bed ct. I chamfer or round off the upper rear corner of this finishingstrip S, as indicated in dotted lilies at Fig. 5 and by shade lines in Fig. l, and I cut it out or notch it from its top edge downward, as seen at Figs. 4 and 5, to conform in size and shape to the depression between the side buffer and the side of vthe bed d in which the ball-gutter is placed, and I utilize this cutaway of said board or piece s to firmly and durably support the extreme pit end of the inclined portion of myimproved hall-gutter,

the peculiar novel construction of which I will now more particularly describe. This part of the gutter is composed of three parts or pieces of some suitably hard and durable material, preferably maple-wood, the central bottom piece g being of the peculiar cross-sectional shape shown (see Figs. et and 7) and of the same thickness and width throughout its ventire length (which is about four feet) and being arranged obliquely to the horizon, so that, as shown at Fig. 5, the top surface of said piece g will descend from the usual level of the main portion b2 of the ball-gutter to a level or point three and one-half inches below the top surface of the bed d at its extreme pit end, as required by the regulations, while the two side pieces h h are alike except that they are rights and lefts, and each is of the peculiar cross-sectional shape shown and each tapering lengthwise, so that while that (beveled) edge portion of each that is matched to or in meeting with one of the beveled tongued edges of the bottom board g conforms to the uniform thickness of said meeting edge of g the other vertical edge portion or side of each of said strips h is tapering to the extent necessary to have its topmost part run parallel with the horizontal surface or top corner of the alley-bed a, while its lowermost part or corner runs in a line coincident with the oblique plane in which runs the lower surface of the bottom board g.

As shown, the side strips or pieces h h are united, respectively, with the opposite oblique edges of the bottom board g by tongueand-groove joints, which joints are, however, of an unusual character for specific purposes, which I will explain. In the building of the alley, as is well known, the beds d, are iliade and laid and the stringers or separation-strips C C2 all placed in their final positions before the ball-gutters are put in or made up, the regulations requiring that the space occu pied by the ball-gutter, or, in other words, the distance between the vertical side (or the outer upper corner) of the bed a. and the adjacent parallel side or surface of the separation-stru.) C C2 (see dotted measurement line at Fig. 3) shall be nine inches; but,as is also well known, in the building ofthe alley, even with the stuff for the various parts gotten out at the mill or factory with the greatest possible precision and the work of laying the beds and partitionstrips done with the greatest degree of accuracy practicable by the most skilled and experienced workers, there will nearly always be a slight variation or discrepancy in the measure of this depression or receptacle (crosswise) designed for the reception of the ball-gutter.'

This discrepancy is usually in the direction of having the space between a and C2 a little more than the regulation measure of nine inches, (though sometimes it is a little less,) so that when it comes to fitting in the stock for the gutterfwhich has been gotten out at the factory to fit in aspace exactly nine inches wide) there will not be close or tight joints IIO between the two upper edges of the gutter, respectively, and the edge of the bed a on one side and the surface of the stringer C2 on the other, or in case the space left be a fraction less than nine inches one or both sides of the gutter structure or stock must be planed down in order to fit in the gutter. When the space is too great-tl c., if the joints are too open-they must be stopped up in some way, or where the cove gutter is made in two parts meeting at the center of the bottom (as is usual) the open joint occasioned at this point has to be stopped up (with putty if the crack be not too wide) before the staining or painting of the gutter to give it its final finish.

By making the bot-tom of the rear portion of the gutter of one piece, such as g, and two side pieces h h, jointed together, as shown, (see Fig. 4,) so that when the gutter-space is exactly nine inches these three joined pieces will exactly fit the space widthwise, as seen at Fig. 4, in the event of the space being a little too wide a perfect fit of the gutter at the top edges can nevertheless be eectuated by simply tilting outwardly or spreading apart at their upper edges m m, as shown at Fig. 7, these spread-apart side pieces 7L h still maintaining each a proper union with each side or edge of the bottom piece g and, in fact, making a closer joint with each edge of the latter.

By reference to and a comparison of Figs. 4 and 7 and noticing particularly the dotted lines in the latter, which show the side pieces 7L h in the conditions in which they are seen at Fig. 4, where they are not thus spread apart on account of a misfit between the gutter device and the gutter-space made for its reception, it will be understood that by reason of the peculiar shape of the gutter parts, (in cross-section,) where the space left is exactly nine inches and the gutter parts are inserted and securely fastened, g to the leveling-straps or foundation-pieces, and h h, respectively, to the stringer-beam and the alley-bed, perfect ts of the gutter device to the side of the bed and to the stringer are effected and perfectly tight joints occur between the meeting sides of 7L h with g at the upper edges of said meeting sides, while at the same time these meeting sides or adjacent surfaces of these parts do not quite contact each other, but, on the contrary, lie in planes that diverge from the upper-edge-contactingline. (Seeparticnlarly the illustration by full and dotted lines at Fig. 7.) It will also be noticed that in the case of a perfect fit to start with the bottom sides, so to speak, of the side strips h h do not quite contact with the foundation on which is laid and to which is secured the bottom piece g. From all of this it will be further understood that where this gutter structure is secured Within a gutter-space just nine inches Wide, but subsequently the gutter paris slightly shrink widthwise, (as all wooden work will do,) so that cracks will be created at the upper contacting edges of the meeting sides of 7L 71. with g, by removing the screws by which h hare fastened to the alleybed and to the Stringer the strips 7i, can be shifted to make perfectly tight joints with g and can also be spread apart at their upper edges m, as shown at Fig. 7, to there produce 'the original perfect joints with the bed and with the Stringer.

It will be understood that While the partg and the strips h h are joined orcombined by tongue-and-groove jointures the latter are made, as shown, to permit the slight relative rocking movement of the parts requisite to the hereinabove-descri bed shifting of the side pieces under the contingencies and for the purposes mentioned.

As I have hereinbefore remarked, it sometimes happens that the carpentry will be such in putting down the beds @tand the partitionstrip C as to leave the gutter-space slightly less than nine inches. In such case the gutter parts (which have been manufactured to meet the contingencies I have heretofore alluded to) cannot be placed in position in the too-narrow gutter-space; but by reason of the peculiar construction shown they can be made to tit in with very little trouble and hand labor (or a small expenditure of time) by simply taking a rabbeting-plane and planing off a little of the stock at the line or surface o (see Figs. 4 and 7) of each side of the piece g to let the strips h 7L move a little closer together. As these discrepancies (in either direction) in the regulation or prescribed width of the gutter-space seldom, if ever, amount to more than from one-sixteenth to one-eigh th of an inch, (which amounts to half that on each side,) a perfect fit can under all circumstances be effectuated, as I have explained, either without any tting-work as to the gutterpieces or by shaving off a little at each of the points o o, as last above explained. As I have made and proportioned these parts lt 7L and g the latter is easily gotten out of twoby-eight-inch maple stuff that is ou the lumber-market, whileeach of the side pieces L requiring stock that is two by [ive inches maple lumber, that comes two by ten, ripped into two parts, is utilized without waste in the manufacture of these side strips. This is a matter of importance, since any construction under which an economic manufacture of the gutter parts results is a desideratuni, since it enables the alley-builder to put up and the public to get the benefit of the alley at less cost.

The .major part of the ball-gutter b2, that runs from the front end of the four-foot length I have just described the construction ofto the balk-line, (a distance of about fifty-nine feel while it must have its upper surface to correspend in size and shape with that of the pit end portion, does not need to be so d nrably made, and hence can be differently constructed. This part I make of three'strips, but of considerably lighter (and hence cheaper) stocl ,piel" erably of maple-Wood jointed on a somewhat IOO IIO

different plan from that above described, but adapted to somewhat in like manner meet the conditions above alluded to. This part of the gutter I make of abottom piece or stript' and two side piecesjj, (sce particularly Fig. 2,) not only the bottom t', but also the side stripsj, being ot' unifolm thickness and width throughout their entire lengths.y Like the strip g of the other part of the gutter, the bottom board?,- (see Figs. 2 and 6) is securely blind-screwed to the leveling-strips or foundation, and the side strips are joined, respectively, at their lower edges to the opposite edges of z' by a sort of tongue-and-groove jointure of the peculiar form which I will presently explain and have their upper beveled-off edges securely fastened, respectively, to the side of the bed ct, and to the adjacent vertical surface of the stringer C.

The peculiar conformation and combina-` tion of the parts t' and j at their meeting edges is clearly shown in the drawings, most plainly at Fig. 6, which shows these parts in vertical cross-section on an enlarged scale, and where it will be seen that the jointure is vsuch that each side piece can be slightly rocked or vibrated about its line of contact with i (at the point s2) for the purpose of changing the relative positions of to fi, as illustrated by the drawing of the partsjj at Fig. 6 in one position in full lines and in another position in dotted lines, and it will be understood that the objects and effects of this capability of adjustment of the parts relatively are, as in the case of the other part of the gutter, before described, to make the gutter parts jj and t' when properly assembled fit perfectly in a gutter recess or space that may have been a fraction too wide-1l. e., a little over nine inches-and to reiit these parts when by reason of a slight shrinkage of the stock the joint may have slightly opened at the line s2. In this case, however, the lower edges of jj instead of contacting at a line and moving about that line, (as an axis of motion,) as in the case of the side pieces h h, have each a rolling surface of contact at S, so that when one of these parts j is moved from the position shown in full lines to that shown in dotted lines at Fig. 6, or vice versa, the upper rounded portion u of the (sort of grooved) edge of strip j rolls in contact with the surface lw of the (sort of tongued) edge of the strip i. By reason of this peculiar construction and operation of these parts the external width of the gutter device at its top can be readily varied, as and for the purposes alluded to, and under such variations a tight joint can be made and always maintained, though, unlike the construction and working of the side strips h h, the partsjj and e' are so made. and work together that, as clearly seen at Fig. 6, there is always a slight groove in the top surface of the gutter (at the line 52)- that is to say, the jointed parts do not come together flush, so as to form a perfectly plane surface in the arc of a circle, (in cross-section,)

as in the case of the pit-end portion of the gutter device herein previously described. For this longer portion of the ball-gutter the two slight groove-like depressions at s2, running the whole length, are not at all objectionable, an d, as shown and described, this longer portion of the gutter, which serves no purpose but that of a conductor of misplayed balls and is never subjected to any concussive severe wear and tear, needs not to have precisely the same sort of surface nor to possess the same degree of strength as the pit-end portion.

The parts t' and jj are gotten out (in lengths of twelve to sixteen feet) at the mill or factory in perfect shape and size, so that they have only to be laid and fastened in the prepared gutter-space (breaking joints endwise) and screwed fast in place by the skilled hands who putin the alleys, and hence the time and labor of these workmen is much economized.

In the event of a gutter-space having been made slightly too narrow for the accommodation ofthe assembled parts j j and z' in the condition illustrated at Fig. 2, then to slightly narrow the gutter devicesay from a sixtyfourth to about a sixteenth of aninch on each side-it is only necessary to jack off this amount from each of the upper beveled edges n 'n of the strips or boards jj, which slight alteration or fitting involves very little labor by the carpenter and does not, it will be seen, in the least change the circular or arc shape or size in cross-section of the ball-carrying surface of the gutter.

With reference to the pit-end portion of the gutter b, it will be observed that although it is inclined to the regulation extent the main bottom piece g is plain straight work, this piece being laid in an oblique position, and only the side pieces h h are slightly tapering, the extreme rear or pit end of each being, as shown, slightly wider than the other end, (see Figs. 3 and 4,) so that its upper edge m runs exactly parallel with the playing-surface of the bed et of the alley. At the same time it will be observed that the cross-sectional shape of this ball-gutter device at all points in its length presents substantially the same superficial curvature to suit the regulationsized balls.

I want it to be observed that in my improved ball-gutter constructions all the parts thereof can be easily and perfectly gotten outv or manufactured at the mill or factory where all parts of bowling-alleys are made almost Wholly by machinery) at a minimum cost and that in setting up or putting in the alleys these parts can be built in under the usual practical conditions in alley-building with the least possible expenditure of skilled carpentry, and hence at small cost, while at the same time the completed gutter is better as to strength, durability, ease of repair in the event of any slight shrinkage of stuff, andv more efficient in action than any ball-gutter heretofore made that I know of. Every alley- IOS IIO

builder will realize the fact that these qualities and conditions are of great value and importance.

The fact alone that in both parts of the gutterstructure any slight shrinkage of stock, causing either slight cracks at the lines of o o of the pit-end portion or at the meeting edges of the parts composing the other part of the gutter, can be correct-ed by a simple adjustmeut of the part-s (without any putty or plugging) renders my improved gutter device vastly superior to any gutter heretofore made.

I-Iaving now so fully described my invention that those skilled in the art can practice it either in part or in whole and in either the precise form shown or under some near modification as to either part, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a bowling-alley ball-gutter, a pit-end portion composed of a bottom piece of equal width and thickness throughout,but arranged obliquely to the alley-bed playing-surface;

and' two side pieces, tapering in Width; the said side pieces and bottom piece being jointed together, to form tight joints at the surface of the gutter, but capable of relative adjustment; as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a bowling-alley ball-gutter, a portion of the latter extending from the pit-end inclined part to the players end of the alley, composed of a bottom strip, or piece; and two side pieces; each of the latter being combined, at its lower edge, with one of the edges of said bottom strip, by means of a rolling joint; Whe reby the parts of the gutter are relatively adjustable; substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereoi'I I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of March, 1901.

PARIS J. RIDDELL. 

